Under Stars
by missmagdelena
Summary: Zevran finds the quiet Grey Warden awake in the dead of night and he knows something isn't right. What he doesn't know is why he seems to care quite so much.
1. Chapter 1

First fanfic ever. Be nice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age (though I wish I did, hur hur hur) or its characters, except perhaps the thoughts of mine.

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The moon was moving slowly across the star dappled sky. The almost invisible and thinning black clouds were the only reminder of the torrent of rain that had fallen most of the day. The ground was still muddy, and Zevran Arainai's boots were coated with a thick and copious amount of mud. The wee hours of the morning were coming, and his watch of his and his companion's camp was almost over. He sat by the opening of the trees, listening to every branch creek and every leaf tinkle to the ground. He sighed and pushed himself up from his thankfully dry rock and squelched his way back to the dying fire. His thoughts were lost in the past few weeks and their life altering events. He had been falling face forward into an almost suicidal mission, where he would face down a legendary Grey Warden. He was positive the blackness and pain had been his slow coming death until he had been kicked awake by her. She was the last creature he was expecting to be uniting the land of Ferelden. An elf, born into poverty he had later learned, but proud. The eyes that had bore into him as he lay on the dust were wild, and lost. She only had a shem and a mabari as her companions but it was she who had bested him. There was that powerful smack to the side of his head with the pommel of her dagger, meant to kill but weak. She wasn't exceptionally strong. No, they all followed her for the unique and brilliant strategist mind and tactics. She knew where to send them, when to hold, when to charge, and how to inspire. The bard's songs and crystal clear voice sent shivers down Zevran's spine when he fought with her. She was focused during battle, and sometimes somber. It was a rare treat to see her smiling or laughing, but it was not unheard of, like with Sten or Morrigan. He shook these thoughts as he walked through the dark. He almost never held others in such high esteem. He was on his way to wake Leliana when he heard a growl. He looked down and almost jumped. Audra was sitting close to the fire against a log, Bern the mabari lying over her legs. She has vellum in her hands and she was scratching away. She was, strangely, not wear armor, but a light blue crudely made tunic and black leggings. The tunic was shapeless and unflattering. She didn't seem to notice him but for a flick of her dark blue eyes. Her short black hair was freshly braided. He swallowed and pushed his dirty thoughts to the back of his mind. He bowed slightly.

"My dear Grey Warden. Why are you ever awake in this late hour?" She grunted and he frowned. "What are you doing?" He pushed, gesturing to the vellum while sliding to the ground beside her. But not too closely.

"Cataloging darkspawn." She viciously scratched something out, frowning slightly deeper. He stared at her profile for a moment. My word, she was pale…

"I want there to be a proper recording of these…things. For future Wardens, and for people in general, I guess." He watched her sketch with interest. She was entering a passage about the Broodmother, complete with a disturbingly close likeness. He saw how her hand shook as she wrote, and remembered waking slowly after being thrown to the ground. Audra had been limping and was covered in blood from head to toe. The beast was dead and she looked like she was next. She still had been helping him sit up and drink a poultice. He heard her sigh and she stopped writing to rub the bridge of her nose.

"Why are you not sleeping?" She turned and looked at him sadly.

"Nightmares." She shrugged, looking away. "What else?" She was trying to be strong, but Zevran could still see her jaw trembling. He closed the small distance between them as he gently took her small chin in his fingers. He turned her face towards him.

"How bad?" He asked, gazing into her surprised face. He felt the heat of her blush underneath his fingertips before he saw it.

"Bad." She put her face down, and he let her. "There was my family, and darkspawn everywhere." She put her head down on Zevran's shoulder. "I watched everyone I cared about get slaughtered." He ran his hand up and down her spine, trying to calm her. He felt small drops of wet hit between his neck and the armor he still had on. He wanted to make her happier but was taken aback. The fearless leader, crying? The mabari sneezed, making them both jump. Bern got to his legs and trotted off into the trees to relieve himself. Audra picked her head up from his shoulder and he unwillingly dropped his hand. Without thinking, he used his hand to wipe away the tears on his neck. She had picked up her vellum again and was looking determinedly at it. Zevran looked away as he stood. He walked over to Leliana's tent and leaned in through the flaps to where the red-haired bard was curled under furs.

"My lovely Leliana! It's time to awaken and guard us from our impending doom!" He heard her groan and he pulled his head out. He made to retire when he looked back and saw the tears falling on the vellum. As much of him was an assassin, he couldn't leave her like this. Was that his chest aching? He strode back over and leaned down behind her. He spoke quietly in her ear.

"Were you planning on retiring to your tent again this night?" She shook her head. "Then would you join me in mine?" She turned to face him, face full of astonishment and…was that hurt?

"That is the last thing I want to do right now, Zev." He sighed.

"For once, not in that sense. I could chase the nightmares away. If our leader does not have her beauty sleep, the darkspawn will be truly disappointed. I promise to be chivalrous, for one night." She bit her lip. Leliana exited her tent and cast them a glance, but continued walking to her post for watch.

"Fine." She said it so quietly, he almost missed it. She smiled a bit. "The first sign of roving hands, and I send in Bern. The dog whined happily and he wagged his tail. Zevran reached down a hand to her and she took it. He led her to his tent, his body trying to betray him and pulsating with want. That tunic wasn't so unflattering after all. Her legs looked strong and attractive. The soft curves of her face only helped him to imagine the ones on her body. He heard the mabari settle outside his tent as he gestured grandly for her to lay down. He pulled off her boots in the most gentlemanly way he could and he was rewarded with a giggle, followed by a yawn. He placed the warmest wool blanket he had around her shoulders and she curled up under it. He laid down behind her, not touching, but only just. He stroked her dark hair away from her face. She was faced away from him and he watched the sliver of her face he could see. He had never seen her so childlike. He doubted she had ever let her guard down this much and he felt touched that it was him. His thoughts were muddled however. He was confused as he watched her. He felt his eyes drooping shut as the smell of her body intoxicated him.

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He was awoken by her thrashing and crying out. Zevran was still disoriented by sleep, but he tried to calm her down. He saw her face and his heart defiantly constricted. It was rippled with anguish and fear, two expressions he thought he would never see on such a strong a woman. He instinctively reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her body into his. He wrapped his arms around her small body and kissed her on the top of the head until he could feel her nightmares stopping. Her face became calmer and she was staying still for longer. She turned in her sleep and faced his chest and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like his name.

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Thank you for reading! It would be appreciated if you reviewed, but if not, I hope that you enjoyed the story.


	2. Chapter 2

I am so so sorry for the amount of time this took to get written. I am the worst person ever. My laptop fried itself and I didn't have one until the other day. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this. I have the rest of the story planned out, so there will not be anymore five month breaks between chapters. Enjoy!

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Breakfast was a quiet affair that morning. Audra stirred the tasteless oatmeal around the wooden bowl, enjoying the scrape of the spoon against the side, and secretly thought the Qunari should never be allowed to cook breakfast again. Her bacon had already gone to Bern, and the hound had the grace to pretend he wasn't able to comprehend the silent aura surrounding the party. For the most part, they were plagued with the exhaustion that was becoming constant in raising an army. A smaller portion came from the awkward energy emanating from those who witnessed two elves emerging from the same tent together and didn't know how to address it. Audra, half of the party in question, was glad for the silence. She had woken up in the warm embrace of the shameless elf and she couldn't bring herself to question her own motives until she was fed and truly awake. She didn't know if one of her companions were going to say anything, or if they would ignore it wonderfully. She was not lucky, but the worst was addressed quickly as Morrigan cleared her throat. Audra preemptively put her head in her hands.

"Are you now mating with the assassin, Warden? 'Tis most fitting." Morrigan's voice seemed to slice through the silence and chewing. Alistair froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth and Leliana peered curiously at them both. Sten blinked at the sound of her voice, then continued to eat. Audra stupidly wondered where Oghren was, and then realized he was passed out drunk still. The only person who remained relaxed and smiling was Zevran himself. He stretched his legs out in front of him, the very appearance of calm.

"Dearest magical temptress, what you are referring to was simply an arrangement that brought us both warmth and company. There was no "mating" involved. Though I admit, I would not have protested if I had been jumped in the middle of the night." Audra felt herself blush and placed her hands over her growing headache. She was tired and smelly. She was not in the mood for bickering. They still had many miles to cover into the Brecilian Forest and she wasn't in the best of spirits. She stood.

"That's enough. Wash your dishes, break down the tents, and be ready to leave. And somebody wake up our drunken princess." Oghren snored heavily to her left. Her companions stretched and got up to follow her instructions. She could still feel that her face was red. She stomped over to her tent to armor up and take down the canvas. From behind her, she could hear a bucket of water being splashed over the dwarf. Zev's voice accompanied it.

"Good morning, my sour smelling associate!"

"You sodding knife-eared pipe cleaner!"

Audra sighed and gathered her things. It was going to be a very long day.

They had been on the road for a bit more than an hour when Zevran finally sidled up to her. Bugs were biting, her pack was heavy and Fox's Bow was weighing her down more than anything.

"My dear Grey Warden, I apologize for possibly putting you in a compromising position this morning. I was not thinking." Although his voice was pure honey, she could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. In spite of herself she smiled.

"It's alright. My sleeping arrangements are not usually breakfast time conversations."

"Ah, then you clearly have not spent enough time around me." Zevran smirked. She decided to change tracks completely.

"You said you lived with a Dalish tribe for a while?" Audra asked. He nodded.

"It was…not how I imagined. I supposed I was raised in a city for a reason." He scoffed. She hesitated before continuing.

"You don't think they'll be…hostile towards an elf like me?" He looked perplexed, and then amused.

"An elf like you? My dear, you are a goddess among our race. How could they possibly be hostile to you?"

"I meant like, an elf raised in an alienage. I heard rumors that the Dalish call us flat-eared. That we are nothing but pets to humans." She felt embarrassed to be admitting this, but Zevran's smile grew larger with each word. She rolled her eyes. "What?" She snapped. He chuckled.

"I apologize. It was just the thought of you being anybody's pet. The man who tries to put a collar around your neck would find his hand chewed off quite quickly." Audra scowled.

""I'm not sure that's a complement." He smirked wider.

"Neither am I." He walked briskly away, leaving Audra confused and frazzled.

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Review if you want smiles! The next part will come shortly.


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